These tiles are generally rectangular or square in shape. Peripheral tiles need to be cut prior to being laid so as to be fitted to the more or less irregular contour of the surface being covered. This is the longest and most difficult part of laying tiles. If a tile is cut too short the assembly gradually works loose. If it is cut too long then the tiles are not properly adjusted and they run the risk of warping or coming unstuck.
At present, peripheral tiles are cut in a highly empirical and inaccurate manner after drawing a line of the desired contour on the back of the tile. This drawing is done by means of elementary instruments such as a square, a ruler, and a pencil. As a result there is a risk that mistakes will be made, time wasted, and the cost of laying the tiles will be increased.
The invention seeks to eliminate these drawbacks by providing an instrument, referred to as a "template", which is specially designed initially to accurately take up the contour of the surface to be occupied by a peripheral tile which is to be laid, and secondly to be placed over said tile and used thereover for guiding a cutting tool so that the contour is exactly reproduced on the cut tile.
Another aim of the invention is to provide a template which is simple and robust in design, which is cheap in cost, which is easy to use and to handle, and which is capable of adapting to various contours.